Anna Maria Island: A Self-Guided Cycling Tour

On this self-guided bicycle tour, you’ll discover how an unlikely cast of characters – from a Fig Newton millionaire, to platform divers who dodged sharks – transformed a barrier island into a beloved community. You’ll encounter the island’s famous “mosquito jail” – a 1927 lockup with barred windows but no glass, where biting insects proved more effective than bars at deterring crime. You’ll pedal past the Roser Memorial Church, built by Charles Roser, who created the Fig Newton cookie and the process to make it then sold his creation Nabisco for a million dollars in 1890 Along the way, you’ll learn about the making of Hollywood’s 1948 film On an Island With You, and explore Bean Point where the island’s first homesteader settled in 1892. You’ll also ride past sites devastated by 2024’s hurricanes and discover how this community of 1,000 residents rallied to rebuild.